Saving Face
by PhilWenneck25
Summary: When Morrison assigns Hannibal and Face their own solo ops it seems nothing can go right. Soon enough they realize what a huge mess they got themselves into. Not only is their friendship threatened by the events, but their lives are too. Can the dynamic duo survive and figure out who is really behind it all or will one of their lives be tragically cut short? I don't own the A-Team.
1. Chapter 1

"Colonel sir, General Morrison would like to see you as soon as possible." The Corporal said as he caught up to Hannibal, who was walking around the base in search of his teammate. With a confused nod, Hannibal made his way to Morrison's tent.

"Since when do you send people to find me? That's very professional of you, Russ." The Colonel joked as he stepped inside, his smile immediately vanished when he saw Face sitting in a chair across from Morrison. The kid looked incredibly nervous.

"What did you do?" Hannibal muttered and Face gulped as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Hannibal, why don't you sit down?" Morrison suggested and the Colonel obeyed, the tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

"You're not in any trouble, but I wanted you both here when I told you. I have a mission for each of you." He sighed and handed each of them a packet of paper. Face let out a relieved breath and Hannibal raised his eyebrows curiously.

"You said each of us. So this means they're solo ops? You expect me to let him go on a solo op?!" The Colonel exclaimed and Face looked horrified as he realized that it would be him alone on a mission.

"I can't go on a solo op! Are you serious?!" He cried but Morrison put up a hand to silence the both of them.

"Look, you two are the best I have and these are important missions. I need them done in three days. You'll be about ten miles away from each other, so you'll have to complete the missions at the same time when security will be light. Get it done boys." The General sighed and quickly ushered the men out of his tent.

"Hannibal, I-" Face started but Hannibal put up a hand.

"It's gonna be okay. I'll keep my comm lines open for you." He sighed and walked with the kid back to their barracks where they both began planning their missions.

THREE DAYS LATER

"You ready kid?" The Colonel asked as they stepped off of the helicopter and into the woods.

"Yeah. Meet you at the rendezvous point in two hours." The kid sighed before flicking his comm on and heading towards his destination.

The mission was going along great, Face had successfully broken in and downloaded the intel onto a flash drive but he ran into trouble when guards swarmed his building. He had unknowingly set off the silent alarm.

"Hannibal." He muttered into the comm as he hid himself from the guards that were circling the halls.

"Kid, there's almost no guards at my building." The Colonel whispered.

"All the guards are here looking for me. I must've tripped a silent alarm or something." Face sighed before sprinting towards the fire escape.

A shot echoed through the hallway and Face was hit in the back. While the bullet caught his vest, the shock of the hit sent Face tumbling to the floor. The guard was on top of him before Face could even react.

"I'm hit Hannibal. I-I'm sorry." Face groaned before the guard slammed his head off of the floor, sending him spiraling into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Hannibal listened as Face was dragged through the halls of the compound.

"Bring him to the basement, the boss wants to have some fun before we waste him." A low voice laughed, the Colonel could hear a door being opened and the smack of a body hitting the floor.

Face rolled over with a groan. Frantically, he reached his cuffed hands into his boot to find that the flash drive holding the intel was gone.

"Hannibal?" He groaned as he laid back on the floor in defeat.

"I'm here kid, I'm coming." The Colonel answered as he rushed to finish his own mission.

"They took the intel and locked me in some room." The kid muttered as looked around for an exit.

"You're in the basement. They're going to try to get information out of you." Hannibal sighed, he had heard their conversation while Face was unconscious. He heard the men enter Face's room and groaned.

"Just keep them talking. Just stay alive. I'm getting ready to leave now." The boss whispered as he set off the alarms at his building. Hopefully this would draw the guards out of Face's building which would make it easier for extraction. Sure enough, a phone rang and Hannibal could hear Face's captor groan.

"EVERYONE TO THE OTHER BUILDING NOW!" He screamed and Hannibal smiled victoriously before taking off toward Face's building.

"Well now, who are you?" Face's captor asked as he cracked his knuckles.

"They call me Face. Who are you?" The kid muttered. The sickening smack of a punch hitting its target sounded through the comm line.

"I'll be asking the questions here, pretty boy. But my name is Toby." He sighed as he grabbed Face and looped his handcuffs over a hook protruding from the wall.

"Would you care to tell me what this is?" Toby asked as he pulled the flash drive containing all of the intel out of his pocket.

"I have no idea what that is." The kid sighed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Punch after punch was delivered straight to Face's head.

"You think you're funny?! I'll show you funny!" Toby shouted as he stormed outside and came back in with an entire tray of tools to torture the kid with.

"Who are you working for?" Toby asked as he picked up a knife. Face said nothing.

"That's it!" Toby exclaimed as he pulled Face's shirt and vest off. He placed the tip of the knife to the kid's chest and dragged it all the way down until he reached the waistband of Face's pants. A bright red trail was left in the knife's path. Toby continued to make smaller slices all along Face's body.

Hannibal could hear the grunts and yelps escape from the kid's mouth, it only made him run faster.

"Just keep him talking Face, I'm coming." He promised.

"Now Face, do you feel like talking?" Toby sighed as he put down the knife and picked up a taser.

"Mmm taser, good choice." Face smiled and Toby screamed in anger before jabbing the taser into Face's side.

The kid let out loud grunts as his body shook uncontrollably while Toby laughed maniacally in the background.

It had taken an hour but Hannibal arrived to find security extremely light, there was only about four guards on the entire property. Easily, Hannibal took out the guards and sprinted to the basement.

As he kicked open the door, Toby grabbed Face and held him in front of him. The tip of a knife dug into the base of the kid's throat, leaving little beads of blood to slowly slide down his body.

"Just do it Hannibal." Face slurred and the knife was pressed further into his throat. Hannibal didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. Blood splattered all over the wall behind them, Face hit the ground with a thud followed by Toby.

"I'm okay." Face moaned as he shakily stood up, the Colonel breathed a sigh of relief before taking out his phone.

"Russ, we need an extraction now. It needs to be at the house that Face went to, he's hurt. Alive, but hurt." Hannibal explained before hanging up.

He supported most of Face's weight as they went outside to wait for the chopper.

"Boss, the intel is in Toby's pocket." Face sighed as the chopper landed and Hannibal strapped him in. The Colonel nodded and headed back inside.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about this. I'm just following orders. The good news is that this will stop your bleeding." The pilot sighed before jabbing Face in the neck with a needle. Seconds later, the kid slumped into the seat.

Hannibal jogged back to the chopper to see Face only being held up by the restraints on the seat.

"Face?" Hannibal asked worriedly before feeling for a pulse. There wasn't one.

Hannibal put his head in his hands as the chopper took off back to base. Face was dead.


	3. Chapter 3

Hellllloo everyone! I'm really glad you didn't hunt me down and kill me for how I left the last chapter! :) this is not a slash fic. Hannibal and Face are just really close friends. I thought I should make that clear. Also, this fic is based off the MOVIE if you look at Bradley Cooper you will see what I'm talking about with the scar. I don't own anything. Next chapter will be up next Sunday! Enjoy!

* * *

The next few weeks were spent in isolation for Hannibal. The kid's stuff still sat where he left it before the mission, his bed still unmade, and his hair products still littered the table next to his bed. Hannibal couldn't bring himself to clean it out.

Morrison had tried consoling him but the General just didn't understand. Face wasn't just another soldier to Hannibal, he wasn't a grunt under Hannibal's command. He was a brother, a son, he was the Colonel's best friend.

It had been a month since his death and Hannibal still avoided everyone. He went about his exercise routines, attended meetings, and did all the mandatory things, but other than that, he was alone in his barracks.

Tonight was different though. When he got back to his room, he noticed a figure slipping out of the door. Curiously, he followed the man behind the other barracks. There was something off about him.

Hannibal caught up to him and spun him around.

"What were you doing in my barracks?" He asked as he looked into the chocolate brown eyes of the soldier in front of him.

"I was lookin for you sir." The man said in a strong southern accent.

Hannibal observed the face of the mystery man very carefully while he talked to him, the man refused to make eye contact with him.

"Why were you looking for me?" The Colonel asked and the soldier let out a breath, Hannibal had him, he didn't have an answer for him.

"I heard about Peck, I knew him. He was a super cool dude-" His mumbling continued but Hannibal raised his eyebrows, he had never seen this man before but the guy knew Face?

"He loved you like a brother man, he never shut up about you!" The man smiled, Hannibal knew that smile. That smile belonged to a con man, to the best con man. But it was all wrong! This man didn't look like the Face that Hannibal knew. This man was pale with brown eyes and short hair. There was no way this could be Face, he would never cut his hair.

But that smile, the way his eyes sparkled and his skin crinkled, it all seemed so much like Face.

"I'm gonna go. See you around." The Colonel muttered as he turned to leave, a pale hand landed on his shoulder.

"Watch out for yourself, sleep with one eye open, and trust no one." The soldier mumbled and Hannibal spun around.

"What do you mean?" The Colonel asked curiously.

"I've said too much already. Just promise me that you'll be careful?" He pleaded and Hannibal narrowed his eyes.

"Why should I listen to you?" Hannibal asked and the soldier grabbed him tightly by his shirt.

"Because Face wasn't careful and look what happened to him! Something weird is going on Hannibal, just stop being so stubborn and trust someone for once in your god damn life! Jesus Christ!" The man shouted and Hannibal slammed him into the walls of the barracks.

"You better explain what you meant by that. Now." He seethed as he towered over the young man.

"I-I c-cant. N-not now, it's not the right time." He stuttered, he was terrified. Hannibal slammed him into the wall again.

"Are you saying that something else caused Face's death?!" The Colonel demanded and the man turned his head away. What Hannibal saw made him stop dead in the middle of his interrogation. A scar stretched from the man's hairline to his forehead. It was covered in makeup in an attempt to hide it. That was Face's scar, there was no way anyone could have that same exact scar.

"Your makeup rubbed off." Hannibal muttered and Face looked up in horror.

"You're a liar. I thought I could trust you with my life, but you're just a liar." The Colonel sighed before turning around and beginning to walk away. You could practically see the anger and betrayal just rolling off of him.

"Hannibal, I'm sorry. You can trust me, I'm your best friend!" Face exclaimed and Hannibal turned to face him.

"Not anymore." The Colonel sighed and continued to walk back to his room.

Face slid down the wall with his head in his hands.

"How could I do this to him?" The kid mumbled to himself.

Hannibal stormed back into his room and threw his sneakers on. He was angry, this was how he would calm himself, by running himself into the ground.

He was jogging around the base when he was tackled to the ground and handcuffed.

"Get off of me!" The Colonel exclaimed into the dirt and a sigh sounded from the kid, he was the one holding him down.

"Just talk to me! Let me explain!" Face begged and Hannibal threw him off before rolling onto his back. He saw the tear stained face of the kid and his anger only flared, he's crying? He did this to himself.

"I'm not fucking talking to you. Why should I? You betrayed me! You- you died and I was destroyed! But now I find out that you've been alive this whole time! If you didn't wanna be on my service anymore, you could've just said so!" The Colonel shouted and started to pull himself up until he felt the cool metal of a silenced gun pressing into his forehead.

"You're not gonna shoo-" Hannibal laughed but was cut off by Face.

"Shut up. I'm talking now. This is silenced, no one will hear it and good luck with ballistics considering everyone on base has this gun. If you open your mouth or try to even move, I will shoot you in the face." The kid spat and Hannibal laid back on the ground.

"It's not even loaded." Hannibal laughed but stopped immediately when a bullet was shot into the ground merely inches from his head.

"You said that I betrayed you. You think I wanted this?! You think I wanted the pilot to inject me with tetrodotoxin?! Well I didn't! I didn't know what he was doing until it was too late. When I woke up they had cut my hair and had special contacts in my eyes, I didn't know who I was! They told me it was for you, Morrison told me it was for you! They said that you were in too much danger as long as I was with you! I didn't set off any alarms that night, Toby just received a tip from Morrison. He had me tortured, he was going to have me killed! He didn't know our comms were open, he never expected you to show up and save me. So when you did, they decided to fake my death. I didn't know any of this until I woke up! I couldn't do anything! They said they'd kill us if I told you. I didn't want this. I'm so sorry. I was only trying to protect you. I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." The kid rushed as tears streamed down his face and Hannibal blew out a breath.

"You're alive. You've been alive and you didn't tell me..." The Colonel muttered as he carefully sat up.

"You're right. I lied to you, it may not have been my choice, but I did. I stood here and I lied to your face, I should have come right out and said it, I should have come to find you sooner. But I'm here now, Hannibal. I'm coming clean now. I understand if you can never forgive me, hell, I haven't even forgiven myself, but I want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm sorry you found out this way, I'm sorry I didn't come to you, I'm sorry I lied, I-I don't know what else to say except that I'm sorry. If you want me to leave you alone-" Face mumbled but Hannibal cut him off.

"No! Just, just let me think for two seconds." The Colonel exclaimed. Silence filled the space between them, Hannibal was deep in thought while Face just didn't know what to say.

"Please uncuff me." The Colonel mumbled and Face nodded before uncuffing Hannibal.

"I'm going back to our barracks." Hannibal sighed and stood up, pulling Face with him.

* * *

"Thank you for not throwing my stuff out." The kid sighed as he sat on his bed.

"You're welcome kid." The Colonel mumbled into his pillow.

"I'm so sorry." The kid sighed and Hannibal groaned.

"Shut up with that, you know you're forgiven. I'm still mad at you, mad doesn't even begin to cover it, but you're my best friend, I pretty much have to forgive you." The Colonel smiled before burying his head back into his pillow.

Hannibal was out cold in minutes, Face just watched the soft rising and falling of his friend's chest. He was so glad the Colonel forgave him.


	4. Chapter 4

Face refused to sleep, Morrison would surely notice he was gone and this would be the first place he'd look. So he passed the time by watching Hannibal sleep, as creepy as it sounds, the kid found it very relaxing.

"Kid?" Hannibal groaned and Face hummed in response, the Colonel's breaths began to come faster and he tossed and turned in his bed.

"Hannibal?" The kid asked nervously, it was then that he realized it, Hannibal was still sleeping.

"Face, no! Stay with me!" The Colonel begged and Face's mouth dropped open in shock.

"Face please..." Hannibal mumbled and a voice was heard outside of the door.

"He's in there, just as we expected." Morrison muttered and Face sprung into action. Quickly, he jumped into his old, green, army issued duffle bag and buried himself under the clothes.

The door opened with a squeak and footsteps could be heard walking through the room, there were two of them. It must be Morrison and the Corporal.

"Face, no!" Hannibal cried and the springs of his mattress squeaked as he sat up quickly.

"Russ? What the hell are you doing in here?" The Colonel mumbled as he peered into the darkness.

"Is he in here Corporal?" Morrison asked, the Corporal could be heard walking around. Beds were searched under, doors opened, but Face's heart stopped as the Corporal unzipped the duffel bag.

"Hey! That's Face's stuff!" Hannibal exclaimed but they continued to ignore him.

The Corporal sighed as he saw the bag filled with clothes.

"Nope, he's not in here." The Corporal muttered and closed the bag.

"I'm so confused. Why would anyone be in here? The only one who ever came in here was Face, but he's gone." Hannibal mumbled the last part as he looked at Morrison with pained eyes.

"Unless you're telling me that he's not gone. What's going on Russ?" The Colonel asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"Lieutenant Peck is dead." Morrison said coldly and Hannibal looked down at his feet.

"A prisoner escaped, we checked your room to make sure you didn't get in trouble if he was here and you were asleep. Peck is dead. The sooner you realize and accept that, the sooner you can start being of use again." Morrison sneered and Hannibal nodded.

"Yes sir. Permission to sleep General?" Hannibal muttered, his voice dripping in sarcasm. Hannibal's main defense was sarcasm when it came to verbal battles.

"Corporal, lets go." Morrison sighed and the two of them left.

Hannibal sleepily stood up and paced back and forth until he settled for the bottle of whiskey that he kept under his bed.

Face was afraid to come out, afraid that Morrison was just outside the door, afraid that Hannibal would lash out at him, afraid that, once again, he wasn't wanted.

"He's dead. He's dead. He's dead. It was all just a dream. He's dead." Hannibal mumbled over and over again, he must've said it about fifty times. After a few shots, a semi-drunk Hannibal stored his alcohol away and stood up. Face stayed in the bag when he heard Hannibal walk outside. Just as Face thought, Morrison was still out there.

"Russ, he's dead. He's really dead. He lost too much blood and he died on the floor of the helicopter. I wasn't there, he died alone. I wasn't there to guide him on his mission, I wasn't there to save him from the torture, I wasn't there to calm him down before he died. I wasn't there and now he's not here because he's dead. And I know he's dead and that it was my fault, I don't need you coming in here and reminding me of that." Hannibal muttered angrily to the General.

"It wasn't your fault Hannibal." Morrison sighed guiltily and Hannibal stormed back inside.

"Russ, we should go back to our barracks, he's obviously not here." The Corporal mumbled and Morrison agreed. The two of them shrunk away from Hannibal's glare as he stared them down through the open doorway.

Once they were gone, a semi-drunk Hannibal threw himself onto his bed and mumbled to himself that he was just dreaming.

It killed Face to hear Hannibal try to convince himself that he was gone. With tear brimmed eyes, Face crawled out of the duffle bag and crept over to the boss who was smiling at the picture of him and Face that was on his nightstand.

The kid remembered when the picture was taken. He and Hannibal had just gotten back from what everybody said was an impossible mission and they celebrated by having a few drinks around the fire with about half the base. He and Hannibal were absolutely hammered, they had a blast. They were both standing by the fire, with cold beers in their hands, laughing at something that probably wasn't even that funny, it was the happiest he had been in the months it took to prepare for that mission. He loved that picture as did Hannibal.

He found himself smiling at the photo until a sleepy and half drunk Hannibal rolled over and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Remember when you used to be alive?" He sighed and Face frowned.

"I am alive, I'm here Hannibal." He whispered and Hannibal just smiled lazily.

"Can you stay? For tonight at least?" Hannibal pleaded and Face climbed into the bed next to the Colonel. Hannibal had done this many times for him. Whenever his abandonment issues got the better of him, Hannibal would be there to remind him he wasn't alone, it's what best friends do for each other. He could definitely do it for Hannibal. He slung an arm around Hannibal's shoulders and sighed.

"Is this a dream?" Hannibal mumbled suddenly and Face shook his head. The boss clearly didn't believe him.

"It's a good dream." The Colonel yawned before his eyes slid shut and he fell asleep.

Tears welled in Face's eyes as he realized what this whole thing had done to his best friend. He had to do something about it and fast.

When morning broke, Hannibal awoke with a groan. He had a crazy dream about the kid.

"Just when I start to accept that he's gone, you go and do this. Stupid brain." He groaned and reached into his nightstand for some aspirin, his head was pounding.

As he put the pill bottle back in his drawer, he allowed his eyes to linger on the photo on the nightstand.

"I miss you kid." He sighed before swallowing his pills and leaning down to put on his sneakers.

"I miss you too." A soft voice came from behind the Colonel. He turned slowly to see Face staring sadly back at him.

"It wasn't a dream. I'm here. I really held a gun to your head, I really hid in a duffle bag, I really sat with you last night. I'm really here." The kid smiled and Hannibal let out a slow breath.

"What the hell is going on Tem?" Hannibal groaned and Face sighed as he sat on his own bed.

"Okay, this is what Morrison's Corporal told me. The General received orders to take you out but he couldn't bring himself to do it so he tried to have me killed. When you saved me from Toby's that night, the Corporal injected me with tetrodotoxin so that you'd think I was dead, I guess they couldn't bring themselves to kill me either." Face explained and Hannibal interrupted him.

"Why would they try to kill you if it was me that they wanted?" The Colonel asked and Face shrugged.

"He said that they hoped you would kill yourself. But I think there's something wrong with their story." Face sighed and Hannibal agreed.

"What are we gonna do?" Face asked and Hannibal smiled.

"I've got a plan." The boss said as he draped an arm over Face's shoulder, the kid hissed in pain.

"There's something I didn't tell you." The kid mumbled, before Hannibal could say anything, his voice took on a pained tone.

"I'm sick." He mumbled and Hannibal looked at him curiously. Face could see the exact moment that Hannibal realized what he was saying. He rolled the kid's sleeve up and peeled back the bandage. On the kid's arm was a deep, angry, stab wound, puss ran from it and the skin was very hot. Infected.

"What the hell happened Face? Who did this to you?" The Colonel growled and Face gulped.

"Morrison did it yesterday before I found you, I didn't realize how bad it was until last night. When I was hiding in the duffle bag, I just started feeling really sick. He's done it before but usually when I pass out, the Corporal cleans it. I guess he didn't this time." The kid explained and Hannibal looked horrifiedly back at him.

Gently, he pulled the kid's shirt off and his hand immediately covered his mouth. Face's body was covered in similar slices, though those had healed.

"We need to get you to the meds!" He cried but Face shook his head, the sweat starting to bead across his forehead, he was getting worse by the second.

"We can use this to our advantage." The kid sighed and Hannibal rolled his eyes.

"New plan." He smiled and Face lowered himself onto the bed to listen.

"Lets hear it."


	5. Chapter 5

"Do you really think this'll work?" Face groaned as he carefully pulled his shirt back on.

"Let's see if your acting skills are still up to par." The Colonel smiled as he got dressed himself.

"I don't need to act." Face sighed as he shakily stood up and held himself up using the wall.

"Tem, you don't have to do this, just let me take you to the hospital." Hannibal practically begged and Face shook his head, the Colonel grimaced.

"I've gotta go now before I fall down. I'll see you soon." The kid sighed before dragging himself out of the door. Nervously, Hannibal paced the length of the room, he would be okay.

The kid stumbled into Morrison's barracks and groaned painfully, now that he was away from Hannibal his true pain showed.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Morrison exclaimed as Face fell to his knees.

"I woke up by the north west corner. S'all I remember." He groaned and allowed Morrison and the Corporal to lead him to his bed.

"I d-don' feel so good." He stuttered and Morrison cursed, he could not have the kid here in this condition.

"Corporal, we have to move him." The General demanded.

"What happened to you?" The Corporal asked as he completely ignored Morrison's demand.

"Infected." The kid mumbled as he pointed to his arm, the Corporal lifted his sleeve to reveal the nasty wound.

"Okay, Morrison, we don't have to move him. It'd be better if he was here, there's less people in here. Go get some IV fluids and the medication from the medics, tell them we have an infected man and that he must be treated here by us." The Corporal sighed and Russ took off with a frustrated groan.

"When did this happen?" The Corporal asked quietly.

"Y-Yesterday morning. Morrison did it." The kid moaned as his body shook uncontrollably. He was getting so much worse so quickly.

Morrison entered just as the Corporal pulled the blanket over Face. The kid's eyes closed, he couldn't bear to look at the two people who completely destroyed his life.

"Here. Take it, I don't know what to do with it." The General sighed as he handed the bag of supplies to the soldier, the Corporal's eyes widened. Both were clueless.

Suddenly, the door swung open and Hannibal stormed in.

"WHY WERE YOU SNOOPING THROUGH FACE'S THINGS LAST NIGHT?!" Hannibal shouted and a moan came from Face's bed.

Hannibal was met with two pairs of horrified eyes and a sick man lying on his bed.

"F-Face...? Y-You're alive?!" He stuttered and Morrison's mouth dropped open. Seconds later, the General was slammed against the wall by the furious Colonel.

"How did you know?" Morrison asked and Hannibal scoffed.

"As if I wouldn't recognize my best friend." He muttered and slammed Russ into the wall again, the Corporal remained where he was, too afraid to do anything.

"Hannibal." A low moan escaped Face's lips and Hannibal was throwing the Corporal out of his way in seconds.

Two blue eyes snapped open when Hannibal's hand grabbed his, the color of his eyes intensified because of the fever.

"I'm taking him to the medics." The Colonel muttered and Morrison cocked his gun before aiming at Hannibal.

"No. You're going to let him die right here, right now and then I'm going to kill you." The General muttered and Hannibal shook his head.

"That's not gonna happen." He seethed and before the General could even object, the IV was set up and the medicine was injected.

"You honestly think you'll get away with this?" Hannibal asked as he stood protectively in front of Face, who whimpered at the sudden loss of contact.

"He attacked me, right Corporal? I had to defend myself, I had to protect my men from the Colonel who finally lost his mind. His mind was clouded with the overwhelming grief he felt for the loss of his best friend." The General sighed and fired three shots into Hannibal's chest, the Colonel hit the floor with a thud. Blood poured from his chest and his head rolled to the side.

"HELP!" The General yelled and multiple soldiers rushed into the room, they gasped at the scene in front of them.

"He attacked me! He claimed that this man was Templeton Peck and that I was conspiring against him! I had to defend myself and my Corporal!" The General exclaimed and dropped the gun.

Two feverish blue eyes cracked open and locked onto his friend's body.

"Hannibal?!" He cried as he barely managed to crawl out of the bed and kneel next to Hannibal.

"What's you're name soldier?" One of the men in the doorway asked and Face turned to look at them, as soon as they saw his eyes, they gasped, anyone could recognize this bright blue eyes.

"Lieutenant Templeton Peck, they kidnapped me, faked my death, and tortured me. Then they were going to let me die, Hannibal stormed in, and they tried to kill both of us. " He groaned as he pulled off his shirt to reveal the many scars and wounds that were still healing.

"He's lying!" Morrison cried, Face reached into the boss' pocket and grabbed the tape recorder. The kid sighed as he pressed the playback button. Mouths dropped open and the soldiers immediately restrained the General. He was gone in an instant and Hannibal opened his eyes with a pained groan.

"I'm okay. Caught the vest, just as we planned." Hannibal mumbled as he stood up and helped the kid up.

"Now, whether you like it or not, I'm taking you to the medics." The Colonel smiled as he scooped the kid up and grabbed the IV bag.

"Hold this up and stay alive." Hannibal sighed and headed towards the base hospital.

The kid was in rough shape, he had used the rest of his energy when he exposed Morrison.

The Colonel pulled some strings and managed to get Face his own room in the small building. He refused to leave the kid's bedside, he had left the kid once when he needed him and he vowed he would never do it again.

Face's eyes remained closed and his hand kept a loose grip on Hannibal's, the pain could be seen on his face. He seemed to be unconscious, no words escaped his lips, though, pained moans often could be heard.

Hannibal hated it, he hated knowing that the kid was in pain. He hated knowing that Morrison did this to the kid. He hated knowing that the kid was practically tortured every day. He especially hated knowing that they hid all of this right under his nose.

"Ha'bal." He moaned, the Colonel immediately sat up listening intently.

"M'sorry." He breathed and shifted uncomfortably in his bed. Hannibal put his head in his hands as he realized the kid was having a nightmare. He was growing stronger with every word, Hannibal knew it would only last as long as the medicine was in his system but it was still better than the moaning and groaning.

"You don' have t' leave." He groaned and Hannibal grabbed his hand once again, he was afraid to wake the kid up but he honestly didn't wanna hear anymore. He'd heard Face's nightmares before and he always hated them. He hated hearing the kid so scared and sad.

"I'll be better, I swear!" He begged and he shifted again.

"Hannibal, please!" He cried and his eyes snapped open. Two terrified eyes immediately connected with Hannibal's, he breathed a sigh of relief and tightened his grip on Hannibal's hand.

"I'm not leaving." Hannibal vowed and Face looked down embarrassedly.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed. You think you're the only one with nightmares? You heard mine last night." He Colonel sighed and the kid looked up at him with a small smile.

"What's going to happen to Morrison?" The kid asked as he settled back down into his bed, the sleepiness visible on his face.

"They're going to court martial him." He frowned and the kid groaned.

"As if that'll do anything. When can I go back to the barracks? I want you to get some sleep and I know you're not going to leave me in here alone." He sighed and the Colonel chuckled.

"I'll get you out of here. It's not like we haven't handled this before." The boss sighed and went to find a nurse. Face was very surprised to see the Corporal sneak into his room.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry. Not only for myself but for Morrison too. While right now you hate him for what he's done, you'll soon understand. He's a good man Face, he just didn't make a good choice. You'll see soon and I'm really glad it all worked out for you." The Corporal rushed and Face nodded.

"I'd get out of here before Hannibal gets back." He sighed and the Corporal ran out of there quickly before Hannibal could beat him to a pulp.

Hannibal came back in with a backpack filled with IV bags and medicine and smiled.

"Lets go kid." He smiled and Face looked at him as if he was crazy. He could barely sit up, now Hannibal expected him to walk halfway across the base?

"You didn't actually think I'd make you walk, did you?" Hannibal chuckled as he scooped up the Lieutenant.

As they walked through the base people looked curiously at the two of them.

Whispers ran throughout the base, Hannibal Smith was carrying his new recruit back to their barracks, this one didn't even last a month. It looks like Hannibal Smith has gone back to being the grim reaper, they said.

"Hannibal, just ignore them." Face groaned and the Colonel smiled sadly.

"Hey Smith! Looks like you're not doing so well without your precious pretty boy!" Someone yelled and the anger could be seen on the kid's face.

"Have they been saying stuff like that since I didnt come back from the mission?" Face asked and Hannibal nodded, he was out of Hannibal's arms in seconds.

"I guess you and Face just weren't as good as you thought!" The Sergeant laughed as he walked towards the Colonel.

"CONNORS! YOU GOT SOMETHING TO SAY TO ME?" Face shouted back as he stood up and leaned on Hannibal.

"Face, let it go." Hannibal sighed and Face shook his head.

"P-Peck?! Y-You're alive?!" Connors stuttered and Face rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I am and if you got something to say to your superiors, I suggest you say it while I'm injured and the Colonel has to hold me up. That way neither of us can beat your ass, _Sergeant_." Face sneered and Conners stepped back.

"N-No sir. Get well soon sir." He mumbled and Face nodded before he and Hannibal headed back to their barracks.

"You pulled the rank card, I've never seen you do that before." The boss laughed and Face groaned in pain.

"Didn't have much energy. He pissed me off." The kid mumbled as Hannibal laid him on the bed and began to tend to his wounds.

"This is gon' suck." Face slurred and Hannibal nodded as he peeled back the bandage, his arm was only getting worse.


	6. Chapter 6

Face was sure he was going to die, there was just no way that he could fight it off. Every time he would make progress, it just came back stronger. Hannibal was terrified, one minute the kid was sitting up and talking, the next minute he was lying limply on the bed unable to stop the moans that escaped his lips.

"Hannibal, s'okay. You don' have t' do this." He slurred as the Colonel cleaned his wound for the sixth time that day.

"Face, stop. The fever will break and you'll be okay. I'm not just going to abandon you just because you're sick." Hannibal sighed and the kid smiled.

People visited and gave their best to the Lieutenant, Charissa was in their barracks often after she discovered that he was alive. It wasn't helping him, he put all of his energy into looking normal for them.

"Face, you need to relax. You can't keep spending all your energy on making everyone happy." The Colonel muttered and Face just glanced up at him.

"Face, you do realize how serious this is, right?" Hannibal asked and the kid nodded, he was afraid to open his mouth. The Colonel let the issue drop and plopped down onto his own bed, it was about time he got some sleep.

It had been four days since the incident, four days since Face's fever spiked and there was no change.

Face's eyes snapped open and a gasp escaped his lips, his body was shaking uncontrollably and he was dripping in sweat. The Colonel was out of his bed and next to the kid in seconds, his sunken eyes wide with terror.

"W-Wha's h-happ'ning?" The kid groaned in fear as his body continued to betray him.

"Don' laugh at me!" Face cried as a huge smile broke across Hannibal's face.

"I'm not! It's just, your fever! It's breaking!" The boss exclaimed and Face smiled lazily before his eyes slipped shut and his body relaxed.

When he woke it was like a new world, he could hear things clearer, see everything better, and felt as though he could finally move again. This time, he really felt it, he wasn't just acting for everyone's benefit.

"Hannibal?" He called, his voice clear and steady compared to the first days of the sickness. While he still felt a tinsie bit weak and sick, nothing could compare to the pain he felt earlier.

The Colonel's head popped up from the floor next to the bed.

"You're awake." He yawned as he stretched.

"Were you just sleeping on the floor?" The kid laughed and Hannibal looked around confusedly. He looked like a scared puppy.

"Yeah... I guess I did." He groaned as he stood up and grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off of Face's face.

Face smiled sadly at his commanding officer as he couldn't fight off the yawns that wracked his body.

"Hannibal... Sit down before you fall down." Face chuckled as he shakily stood up and forced the Colonel back towards his bed.

"Look, we have to be well rested for Morrison's hearing and I've kept you up for four days. Just lay down and shut up." The kid sighed and Hannibal rolled his eyes before burying his head in a pillow.

TWO WEEKS LATER

"General Morrison, after conferring, this court has decided to demote you to the rank of Colonel seeing as you acted on false orders. As for now, General Hendricks will be taking over the base."

"I'm sorry, did you just say false orders? You're telling me that he almost killed both me and my Lieutenant and he didn't even have legitimate orders to do so?!" Hannibal asked surprisedly.

"Yes Colonel Smith, Colonel Morrison received false orders from an illegitimate source, we will be investigating further to find the culprit. Colonel Morrison was doing what anyone else would have done, he was trained to follow orders." The court official sighed, he was clearly annoyed at the Colonel's interjection.

Hannibal was about to argue further but Face nudged his foot with his own.

Once Hannibal sat down, the gavel hit and it was over. The Colonel stormed out followed by the Lieutenant.

The ride back to base was silent as Hannibal's hands clenched the steering wheel so tightly that Face was afraid it would break.

"Boss.." Face sighed but Hannibal shook his head.

"He tried to kill us. He almost killed you. He compromised a mission and betrayed two of his own. All he got was a slap on the wrist. He'll be promoted again, he'll be a General, he'll take over his base again." Hannibal muttered and the kid nodded, everything the Colonel said was true.

"We'll be fine, he's not stupid. He's seen that I would go through hell and back to save you. If its you that he wants, he knows that he'll never take you out. By the time he's done trying to kill me in order to get to you, you would already have gotten him." The kid smiled as he leaned back in his seat and shut his eyes.

"I just feel like this isn't over..." Hannibal sighed and Face hummed in agreement.

"Of course it's not, he'll fire back but we'll figure it out when we get to it. As for right now, I'm just glad that he received some form of punishment, I thought he was gonna get off completely." The Lieutenant sighed and Hannibal nodded.

"It's gonna be fine, Boss. I promise." Face smiled.

"Face you almost died twice, he tortured you! How can you possibly believe that it's going to be fine!?"

"Hannibal, listen to me. Nothing will happen to me and nothing will happen to you. I would give my life for you and you would do the same, we are unstoppable. When have I ever been wrong?" Face sighed and Hannibal frowned.

"You're always wrong kid." The Colonel muttered and Face crossed his arms.

"When? Name one time!" The kid exclaimed and Hannibal laughed.

"Okay, how about Guatemala! When you decided that you had to save the girl and she turned out to be our mark's wife who didn't need to be saved!" The Colonel offered and Face groaned.

"I did it for the rescue sex! That doesn't count! Jesus Hannibal, I would do anything for rescue sex!" The Lieutenant explained and Hannibal shook his head.

"Kid, do me a favor and spare me the mental images." The Boss laughed and Face smiled.

"You can't name any other times." The kid muttered and Hannibal looked pointedly at him.

"How many times have I had to save your life because you decided to go off on your own or you didn't get us the good equipment?" The boss joked and Face looked down at his shoes.

"A lot." He mumbled and Hannibal sighed as he took in the kid's downtrodden expression.

"I still wouldn't trade you for anyone in the world." The Colonel smiled and Face looked up surprisedly at him.

"I'm sorry you always have to save me because I'm an idiot." The kid muttered and Hannibal chuckled.

"Don't be. I have no problem saving your life so that you can get some rescue sex." The Colonel laughed and Face joined in with him.

Hannibal groaned as he looked into the rear view mirror.

"Is that Morrison behind us?" The Colonel muttered and Face chuckled as he nodded.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Hannibal groaned and Face gasped as he turned back around.

"RPG!" He shouted and Hannibal cursed as he stomped on the gas pedal in an attempt to outrun it. The rocket hit the ground in between the two jeeps causing the Colonel's to flip over and Morrison's to catch fire. Morrison was either dead or unconscious and Face and Hannibal were stuck upside down due to the seatbelts.

The airbags deployed and smashed into their faces leaving them both a little dizzy.

"Hannibal?" The kid moaned as his hand gripped the Colonel's, his fingers immediately falling to Hannibal's wrist in search of a pulse.

"I'm here kid. I'm okay. You?" Hannibal groaned as he squeezed the kid's hand reassuringly.

"I-I hit my head. I don't think I can get down without hurting myself even more." He mumbled and turned to look at the Colonel.

"Okay, whoever did this wouldn't step foot near us until nighttime. We can wait a little bit." Hannibal explained as he tried to figure out how exactly to get down.

"I think I'm gonna pass out." Face whined and Hannibal frowned.

"Keep talking to me kid." He commanded and Face began mumbling about how angry he was at Morrison for cutting his hair. He was just explaining how they had to sedate him when his speech started slurring before he became silent.

His hand went limp in the Colonel's, Hannibal turned the kid's wrist over to feel for a pulse and gasped at what he saw.

About four or five pink scars stretched across the soft skin there, the Colonel's stomach dropped as he realized they were recent, they were created in the past month.

"Oh Tem..." He mumbled and grabbed the kid's hand again. This was what they did, when one was hurt, the other was there to support him. Especially for Face, the kid was so afraid that Hannibal would leave him that every time he got hurt, Hannibal had to be touching him. It was okay though, Hannibal didn't mind, especially since he thought of the kid as his own son. He would do anything for Face.

He could feel his own energy draining and tried to think of a plan, until he heard footsteps. The door on Face's side was ripped open and a figure smiled as he noted that the kid was unconscious. His eyes traveled to Hannibal then, he was furious when he saw the Colonel squinting back at him.

Before Hannibal could even react, his door was thrown open and a masked face appeared next to him.

"I can't wait to see how your Lieutenant reacts when he wakes up to find his only friend dead." The man muttered and, seconds later, Hannibal's combat knife was stuck in his chest, right near his heart. The Colonel cried out in pain and the man was gone in an instant, Hannibal was left alone to bleed out.

The Colonel ripped the lower part of his shirt and placed the torn fabric around the knife. Painfully, he applied pressure until the bleeding slowed. Luckily, the knife didn't seem to hit anything or else the Colonel would surely be dead by now.

He looked over at the kid's peaceful face and sighed, he could not die on Face. He had to stay alive for him or else those scars on his wrist would multiply and Hannibal was terrified that that would happen.

The pain and loss of blood proved to be too much for Hannibal as his eyelids grew heavy and his body went limp.


	7. Chapter 7

The ringing in Face's ears was becoming more and more prominent and the static of the radio only got louder as he finally came to.

"Ugh Hannibal, please turn the radio off! I've got a massive headache." The kid whined and opened his eyes, it took him a second to remember everything and orient himself since he was still hanging upside down.

"Shiiiiit." He groaned before he carefully unbuckled himself and dropped to the ground.

"Hannibal?" Face called when he heard nothing from the Colonel. It was pitch black, he couldn't even see if the boss was still in the car.

"Hannibal? You in here?" He asked before feeling his way into the dashboard and grabbing the flashlight. As he flicked it on, he gasped at the limp form of the Colonel, he was still dangling from the the seat. A pool of blood had formed underneath him and a knife stuck from his chest.

"Hannibal! Hannibal, c'mon! Wake up!" He exclaimed and gently shook the Colonel's shoulder, there was no response.

With a shaky breath, the kid climbed out of the car and made his way over to Hannibal's side.

"Hannibal? Face?" Morrison called as he stumbled towards the jeep, Face waited until he was in range before tackling him to the ground.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!" The kid roared as he reached into his holster for his gun that wasn't there.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO HANNIBAL? WHERE'S MY GUN!?" Face demanded and Morrison shrunk away from him.

"I didn't do anything, I swear! If I was going to try to kill you, I wouldn't endanger myself!" Morrison exclaimed and Face sighed before easing off of the General.

"How are you still alive then? Your jeep exploded!" The kid asked, he was still unsure of Morrison's innocence.

"When the rocket blew up, I hit the brakes and was ejected from the car. I went through the windshield, that's why my head is bleeding. I've been unconscious for a while, I woke up a little earlier than you did. My guns are gone too." Morrison explained and Face sighed before climbing off of the General and helping him up.

"Hannibal's hurt, I need you to hold the flashlight so I can help him." Face said before handing Morrison the light and carefully carrying Hannibal away from the wreckage.

"Holy shit." The kid breathed as he took in the image of Hannibal, who was sickly pale and covered in blood. He was coated in nasty cuts and bruises, his nose was broken, but worst of all, his combat knife was sticking out of his left shoulder, right near his heart.

"Okay, okay. It definitely didn't pierce any organs or else he'd be dead by now, but if he doesn't get blood soon, he will die. I gotta get the IV tubing, he needs blood." The Lieutenant mumbled, mostly to himself.

"Someone did this to him. How the hell could his knife get there?" Morrison uttered and Face looked at him seriously.

"Did you do this?" The kid asked and Morrison shook his head furiously.

"Okay look, this is the whole truth. The day I assigned you your missions I received orders to take both you and Hannibal out. So I tipped off the target and hoped he would kill you because I couldn't. When I got the call from Hannibal, I panicked. I decided to fake your death so that he would kill himself which would hopefully have made you kill yourself. Obviously none of this worked. Now I think there is someone out to get the three of us. Someone sent me the orders to kill both him and you. Someone hit us with the rpg. Someone is upset that I didn't take you out and now he's coming for all of us." Morrison answered honestly and Face nodded, he was telling the truth. He didn't do this, any of this. But, who did?

"Give me the light, I've gotta go find the med kit." The kid sighed before taking off toward the jeep.

The kid crawled into the jeep and opened the med kit. Almost everything he would need was in there, he and Hannibal always made sure they were prepared for an incident, especially with Face's knack for being captured.

The only thing that wasn't in there was something to use to apply pressure, a shirt would work just fine.

"Face, he doesn't look good!" Morrison called and Face groaned before snapping the med kit closed and running back out to his Colonel.

Quickly, Face stitched up all the minor cuts and splinted Hannibal's nose.

"He's still losing a lot of blood." Morrison sighed and Face groaned.

"You're not gonna make this any easier on me, are you Boss?" Face muttered before grabbing the IV tubing and needles.

"What is that?" Morrison asked as Face attached the two needles to the tubing and jabbed one into his own arm and one into Hannibal's.

"Blood transfusion. We do whatever we can to keep each other alive. We just happened to be lucky enough to have the same blood type." The kid explained as he watched the blood flow through the tube and into Hannibal's arm.

"Okay, now that he's getting blood, I can take this out." The kid sighed and gestured to the knife before turning to Morrison.

"Okay, when I pull this out, he's gonna bleed profusely. The second his pulse slows or stops, you tell me. Got it?" Face demanded and Morrison nodded. The Lieutenant pulled his shirt off and prepared everything he would need.

"Alright. Lets do this." He breathed before pulling the knife from Hannibal's chest.

There was blood everywhere, Face's chest and face were covered in it.

"Mmmm Face?" Hannibal moaned painfully and Face cursed.

"Not the greatest time to wake up boss." The kid groaned and applied more pressure but the bleeding wouldn't stop.

"Morrison, apply pressure." The kid commanded and the General quickly obliged him. Face dug through the med kit and grabbed the lighter and alcohol wipes. Quickly, he sterilized the knife and heated it up.

"YOU'RE CAUTERIZING IT?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Morrison shouted and Face cut him off with a glare.

"We do whatever we have to in order to keep each other alive." Face muttered and looked into Hannibal's wide, worried eyes.

"I'm so sorry about this Hannibal." Face mumbled and squeezed Hannibal's hand before nodding at Morrison.

Hannibal's screams echoed in Face's ears as he prodded the Colonel with the knife. With his free hand, Face grabbed Hannibal's.

"I'm so sorry." He muttered over and over again as he continued to heat the knife and then press it into the Colonel's wound.

Another prod with the knife, another scream.

When the bleeding subsided, Face dropped the knife to the ground. Tears streamed down his face as he looked down at his best friend whose own face was contorted in pain.

"Please pass out, please pass out, please pass out." The kid mumbled over and over again as he squeezed the Colonel's hand.

"Give me some gauze and the cleaning stuff, I need to clean and pack it." Face mumbled to Morrison who looked nervously back at him.

"You need to take that needle out of your arm Face." The General sighed as he handed the supplies over to Face.

"I-I can't." He groaned and quickly took care of the wound, every time he touched it, Hannibal would cry out.

"M'okay." Hannibal moaned in pain and Face smiled as he offered his hand once again.

"The bleeding is stopped and nothing's getting in that wound." Face smiled and squeezed the Colonel's hand.

"Where's your shirt?" The Colonel muttered and Face laughed, Hannibal's eyes slid shut and his hand went limp in Face's.

"Face!" Morrison exclaimed and the kid immediately started CPR, ignoring the pain in his hand.

It had taken a few minutes, but Hannibal began breathing again.

Face turned to Morrison and sighed.

"I-I think he broke my hand and I lost a lot of blood." The kid slurred before falling to his ground, unconscious.

"Oh come on!" Morrison groaned as he pulled the needles from their arms and stood up frustratedly.

Nervously, Morrison paced back and forth. He was no match for the barren wasteland they were trapped in. His only hopes for survival were the two men unconscious.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been hours and neither of them woke. The sun was beginning to rise and the fire had died down. Morrison had no idea what to do, years of being a General and sitting behind a desk caused him to forget his "instincts."

The radios were broken, his phone was in his jeep which had been burnt to a crisp, and the only two people capable of keeping him alive were inches from death.

"Face?" The Colonel moaned before opening his eyes to see Morrison sitting next to the kid's head. The former General looked like a deer in headlights.

"What did you do to him?" Hannibal demanded as he sat up quickly.

"He lost a lot of blood during the whole transfusion process... And his hand is broken. The pain and blood loss made him pass out, I didn't do anything." The General explained quickly as he backed away from the kid, Hannibal took his place by Face's head and checked his pulse.

"Boss, you're awake." Face croaked suddenly and Hannibal smiled as he helped the kid up.

"Yeah, thanks to you. Although was it really necessary to drain yourself of blood?" The Colonel asked as he stared pointedly at the Lieutenant.

"I was a little preoccupied." Face sighed and Hannibal rolled his eyes.

"Sorry about your hand." The Colonel groaned as he began to wrap it in an ace bandage from the med kit.

"I didn't even notice until I started compressions." The kid mumbled and Hannibal looked curiously at him.

"Compressions?" He asked and Face nodded.

"You, you-" The kid started but stopped to clear his throat and choke back the tears that were threatening to fall.

"I died?!" Hannibal exclaimed and the kid nodded.

"Yeah. I almost lost you and I wasn't gonna let it happen again." Face mumbled and the Colonel pulled him into a hug.

"Shit, kid I'm so sorry. It won't happen again." Hannibal sighed into Face's hair.

"Good." The Lieutenant mumbled.

Once Hannibal let go of him, Face made his way towards their jeep. He was determined to get either his phone working or the radio and they needed some water.

With a sigh he crawled halfway through the window, grabbed his phone and a couple of bottles of water, and stopped when he noticed a figure on the ridge across from him. The kid felt around for his M4 and Hannibal's sniper, his M4 was still in the compartment under the back seats but Hannibal's sniper was no longer under the driver's seat.

Face calmly walked back towards Hannibal.

"Boss, we've got eyes on us." He said before tossing water to each of the men staring curiously back at him.

"He's got your sni-" Face was cut off by the sound of his friend's weapon firing.

It was like slow motion, Hannibal saw the blood spurt from Face's head, he watched as the kid sank to the ground.

"NO!" He screamed and took off towards his friend.

"Hannibal, no! Get your head down! He's gone, he's dead!" Morrison shouted and jumped on the Colonel.

"Get off of me! Let me go!" Hannibal shouted desperately.

The Colonel watched in horror as blood slowly spread out under his best friend.

Face's body stopped twitching and his head rolled to the side, he was gone and Hannibal knew it. He wanted, no, he had to kill whoever it was that shot the kid.

"Russ, please. Please just get off of me, I have to kill this person, I have to." Hannibal begged and, with a sigh, Morrison rolled off of him.

"I'm just grabbing the M4." He muttered and crawled towards Face's body. Hannibal bit back his emotions as he grabbed the gun from the kid's limp hands.

The Colonel stood up quickly with Face's scoped M4 drawn, he knew what to look for when dealing with a sniper.

The sun reflected off of the scope of the sniper as he turned towards the Colonel and Hannibal fired, a strangled cry sounded from the man as he fell off of the ridge he was positioned on.

Quickly, he ran to the shooter and gasped. It was General Hendricks. The bullet had caught him in the throat and Hannibal watched as he slowly succumbed to his injury. When the choking sounds stopped and Hendricks' body went limp, the Colonel checked his pulse. Dead.

"Well I guess you don't have to worry about Hendricks taking over your base." Hannibal shouted to Morrison before taking the guns and radio from the body. Tears welled in Hannibal's eyes.

"Hannibal, are you ok?" Morrison mumbled as he tried to block The Colonel from seeing Face's body.

"J-Just hand me the med kit, I don't wanna see the blood pooling underneath him like that." The Colonel choked as he pushed past the General and sat next to Face's body. He gave Morrison the radio in return for the med kit and quickly wrapped gauze around the kid's wound.

Tears rolled down his cheeks as he stared at his best friend's face. He would never see those bright blue eyes again, he would never see that dazzling smile, he would never see another brilliant con job from him.

His team was gone, his best friend was gone and it was real this time, he saw it happen.

"They'll be here soon. I-I'm so sorry Hannibal." Morrison mumbled and that was when it actually hit him, Face was dead.

Hannibal pulled the kid into his lap and hung his head, he was so young. He was so young and he had survived so much, only to be killed by someone on his own side. He was killed for someone's personal gain, he was killed so that Hendricks could frame Morrison and take over the base.

Two choppers landed and the Corporal ran from one of them directly into Morrison's arms. The Colonel looked down into his own arms, his best friend was dead. He should be in Morrison's position right now, his friend should be alive and hugging him because they made it. Hannibal felt numb as he carried his friend over to the chopper and laid him in one of the two body bags.

They began to load Face and Hendricks into one helicopter while Morrison, Hannibal, and the Corporal were ushered onto the other one, but Morrison objected.

"Face rides with us." He demanded and the coroners began to argue with him.

"Hendricks is a criminal, Face isn't. Therefore he's riding with us, end of story." He demanded and they rolled their eyes before loading Face's body into Hannibal's helicopter.

Both helicopters took off back to the base, Hannibal's eyes never strayed from the thick plastic bag on the gurney next to him.


	9. Chapter 9

"Hannibal?"

Hannibal thought he would never hear that voice again. Quickly, he unzipped the body bag and frowned, he was met with the pale, limp body of his friend. Face was still dead and now he was imagining things.

"Hannibal, you okay?" Morrison asked as he put a hand on the Colonel's shoulder. The Corporal turned from his position in the cockpit and smiled sadly at Hannibal.

"I-I thought I heard him." Hannibal confessed as he turned to face the General.

"Hannibal you need to sit down. It's okay, I understand. He was a great kid Hannibal, he was one of the best. I'm so sorry." The General mumbled as he pulled Hannibal in for a hug.

The Colonel sank back into his seat with his head in his hands.

"Hannibal?"

The Colonel was on his feet and unzipping the bag again. The kid was still in the same position that he had been in before.

"Don't look at me like I'm crazy! I'm not crazy! I heard him!" Hannibal exclaimed and Morrison shook his head as he stood up and zipped the bag back up.

"Hannibal, he's gone. You know this. You saw it happen." Morrison explained and gently pushed Hannibal down into a seat.

"REALLY FUCKING FUNNY HANNIBAL, LET ME THE FUCK OUT!" An angry shout came from the body bag where Face was trying to punch his way out. Hannibal immediately unzipped the bag for the third time, Face sat up angrily

"Oh god, turn the lights off man! It's bright as hell in here." The kid groaned and quickly slapped his hands over his eyes. The kid's face showed the pain and lethargy that he suddenly felt.

"No fucking way." Morrison breathed and Hannibal had already scooped Face out of the body bag. He sat on the floor with Face in his lap.

"My head hurts. It's so bright and loud in here." The kid whined as he reached into his pockets and slid his sunglasses on. Hannibal was still speechless.

"Hannibal, how drunk was I last night? Fuck, I don't think I've ever been this hungover." He groaned and Hannibal smiled as he felt a pulse beneath his fingers.

"You're alive." Hannibal breathed with a watery smile before he gently grabbed the kid's head, peeled the gauze back, and examined it.

"Shit, I drank so much that you thought I was dead? That's classic!" Face laughed before pulling the shirt on.

"Incredible. The bullet only skimmed the side of your head, you really are the luckiest son of a bitch in the army." The Colonel smiled and let go of the kid.

"What are you talking about? Are you still drunk?" The kid laughed and Hannibal looked at him confusedly.

"Of course, you just got shot in the head, I should've guessed you would be a little confused." The boss sighed and Face's eyes widened in horror.

"I-I got s-shot?! In the head?!" The kid exclaimed and reached for his head, he hissed in pain when his hand came in contact with the wound.

"What the hell is happening?!" Face cried in confusion and Hannibal frowned.

"Tem, calm down. What's the last thing you remember?" The Colonel asked as he cleaned and repacked the wound. After about five minutes of Face thinking extremely hard, his mouth dropped open.

"You died. The last thing I remember, is you dying. So that means I'm dead too?!" The Lieutenant cried frantically and Hannibal shook his head.

"You're not dead. I'm not dead. Like always, we're fine. You did CPR. You brought me back and did a blood transfusion. According to Morrison, it was pretty badass." Hannibal explained the events of the day as the kid laid across his lap.

"So we didn't get really drunk last night?" He asked in disappointment.

"No kid, we didn't." Hannibal laughed as he shook his head.

"Damn." He mumbled and Morrison smiled behind Hannibal.

"Welcome back Face." He sighed and Face just nodded at him.

A few minutes passed in silence until the kid gasped suddenly.

"Woah." The kid mumbled and wrapped his arms tightly around Hannibal.

"I-I remember. I'm so sorry. I should've been more careful, I should've taken him out myself. I'm so sorry." He mumbled and Hannibal smiled.

"It's okay, as long as you're alive, it's okay." The Colonel sighed as he hugged the shaking Lieutenant.

Something changed in the kid, his trembling got worse and he seemed to be very distant as he laid back down in the Colonel's lap.

"Tem?" Hannibal asked, he received no response.

"Corporal, get us to a hospital!" Morrison commanded as Hannibal dealt with the Lieutenant.

"Face, you're going into shock. You need to look at me." The Colonel demanded but, once again, the kid just seemed to stare right through him.

"Tem, Tem! Listen to me! You need to breathe. You were shot but you are alive and you are going to live. Do you understand me?" Hannibal explained as he grabbed the kid's good hand and squeezed tightly. The kid's eyes connected with Hannibal's and he immediately calmed down.

"I-I got shot." He mumbled and Hannibal nodded.

"You got stabbed." The kid said and, once again, the Colonel nodded.

"But we're okay." Face breathed and Hannibal smiled as he nodded.

"W-Was that mine?" The kid asked as his eyes landed on the thick plastic bag that was lying on the floor.

"Yes."

"Is that what I was in when I woke up?" He asked.

"Yes." Hannibal answered ashamedly.

"We're almost there, a team will be on the roof to take Face and Hannibal in immediately, Morrison, you and I will be going back to the base hospital." The Corporal called as the city came into view.

"I don' feel so good." He slurred and the kid blinked hard before his eyes closed.

"C'mon kid, stay with me! Please!" The Colonel begged, it was no use, he was unconscious.

"Shit, we're losing him!" He cried as he felt the pulse weaken beneath his fingers.

As soon as they landed, Hannibal wheeled the kid's gurney out of the chopper and watched as the doctors ran him into the hospital.

Another team of doctors appeared on the rooftop and took the Colonel in to properly fix his shoulder. The whole time Hannibal's mind was occupied, he was too busy telling himself that the kid would be alright.

He had to be alright.


	10. Chapter 10

"Colonel Smith?" The nurse called as she walked into Hannibal's room, he hadn't spoken in hours.

"I have news on Templeton." The nurse sighed and his eyes immediately connected with hers.

"He's alive but he's still unconscious. I can take you to see him if you'd like." She smiled and Hannibal nodded as he pulled himself up.

Hannibal had been waiting hours for any news on the kid who hadn't woken up since they arrived there. The doctors had said it was a miracle that he was even alive, let alone awake for the time that he was.

"We don't know when and if he will wake up, Colonel Smith, his injuries were very severe. We have tried everything to wake him up, you may want to prepare yourself in case he doesn't. And if he does, he may not remember who he is or who you are." The nurse explained as she led the Colonel through the hospital. Hannibal gulped, the kid had to be okay; after everything that happened, he had to be okay.

"Are you saying that he's in a-a coma?" Hannibal asked nervously and she nodded, his stomach clenched. This was bad, real bad.

"I'll leave you alone with him. Coma patients can still hear, you know? Maybe you can convince him to wake up." She smiled before leaving Hannibal standing outside the door.

With a shaky breath, Hannibal pushed the door open to Face's room. The door shut quietly behind him and Hannibal leaned against it, he couldn't stand up straight. His legs felt like jelly, his stomach was doing flips, and everything sounded muffled. He was freaking out. Slowly he slid down the door and tucked his knees into his chest, he had to keep it together.

"Oh God. This just isn't fair." He whispered to himself, he stole another glance at the kid.

He was so still, his body was destroyed. Bandages and bruises covered every inch of the kid, there were dark circles under his sunken eyes, and his skin was sickly pale. A tube ran out from between his chapped lips, he was hooked up to a respirator. It was even worse than he thought.

Slowly, Hannibal forced himself to stand up and make his way over to the little plastic chair next to the bed.

This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't. Face was on the verge of death. The kid. How the hell did this happen?

Hannibal studied every inch of his friend's face. It was a face that he knew better than his own, it was a face that he never wanted to see like this. He pinched the bridge of his nose and blinked the tears away. He had to stay strong.

A soft knock came from the door and Morrison poked his head in.

"Hannibal... I'm so sorry." He breathed and the Colonel just put his head down.

"I-I can't lose this one Russ, I can't." Hannibal whispered and Morrison sat down next to him.

"Hannibal..."

"You don't understand." The Colonel muttered and Morrison just looked down.

"John.. There's a 99% chance that he isn't going to wake up." Morrison sighed and Hannibal just shook his head.

"He's going to wake up. He has to wake up." Hannibal asserted.

"Hannibal you need to let him go..."

Face could hear every word that was being said, he was furious. How dare Morrison come in here and say that to Hannibal! He groaned internally, he had to wake up. He had to open his eyes, but no matter how hard he tried, his eyes wouldn't open, his fingers wouldn't twitch.

"Why do you want him dead so badly?!" Hannibal spat and Russ just shook his head.

"He is dead! Can't you see that?! Even if he somehow did wake up, he would probably be severely brain damaged. He has no where to go other than the army, where would he go if he were to wake up and suffer through those issues?!" Morrison exclaimed and Hannibal just looked back down at the kid's face.

"I would take care of him because he's my best friend and I don't abandon my friends! I don't turn my back on them and try to have them killed!" He practically growled. Morrison just looked down at his feet.

"You're saying you would disobey a direct order for a friend?"

"If I received an order to kill Face, you're damn right I wouldn't do it. I'd send him away, get him thrown out of the army and then I'd follow right behind him. I would never fake my death so that he would kill himself, I would never tip off the enemy, I would never do what you've done." Hannibal seethed.

"I think I've done enough, I should go." Morrison sighed as he trudged out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Hannibal laid his head on the edge of the kid's bed and just stared at the blue fabric of the sheet.

"You don't have to wake up yet, just open those eyes whenever you're ready." Hannibal sighed.

Face was so angry, he wanted to kill Morrison. Hannibal's voice cracked and wavered whenever he would mumble something to Face, he was giving up. Hannibal Smith was giving up.

Face was trying so desperately to move or open his eyes but it just felt like there were weights pulling him deeper and deeper into unconsciousness. He knew this was killing Hannibal. He might as well be dead, at least Hannibal would learn to accept that he was gone. But he couldn't put Hannibal through that, he knew what it felt like and he would never wish that upon Hannibal. He couldn't give up, he refused to die after everything he had been through, after everything Hannibal had been through.

"S'okay Face. You can go." A sleep-filled sigh came from the Colonel.

He almost considered it for a moment, he almost considered letting the weights pull him down. But he remembered how broken Hannibal was when he got news of the kid's fake death, he remembered how good he felt when Hannibal accepted him back, he remembered how happy and relieved he was on the helicopter. He couldn't let Hannibal wake up to find him dead.

His fingers twitched, he smiled internally when he felt the muscles in his arm flex under his command.

Slowly he regained feeling in his extremities, it felt like hours before his eyes finally cracked open. As his eyes readjusted to the light, he smiled around the tubes coming from his mouth. He did it! He woke up!

His eyes searched for Hannibal but couldn't find him. He was so confused, Hannibal was just there a few minutes ago. Suddenly he hard the water from the shower click on and he smiled, so that's where he was.

With an inaudible sigh, Face closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

When Hannibal came out of the bathroom, he almost blacked out. He opened the door and Face was lying super still, the thing that caught his attention was the loud, monotonous, steady beep of a flatline on the heart monitor.

"No... No, oh my god." He cried and rushed to Face's bedside.

Hannibal jumped backwards and ended up on his ass on the ground when Face's eyes snapped open. The kid looked at him in confusion but it all clicked together when he realized that the heart monitor showed a flat line.

"W-What?" Hannibal mumbled and Face felt around his chest to find that the suction cups that connect to the heart monitor were missing, he must've pulled them off when he was sleeping. He looked at Hannibal's horrified face and held them up.

The Colonel's features twisted from fear to pure rage and Face quickly stuck them back on his chest. Once his heart beat was shown on the monitor, Hannibal relaxed and Face's lips turned up in a smile.

"It's not funny, you dick!" Hannibal exclaimed and Face just nodded as his smile grew, he couldn't laugh because of the tubes in his throat but he wanted to so desperately.

Hannibal pulled himself up from the floor and rolled his eyes as Face hit the call nurse button.

"I should beat the shit out of you as soon as you're healthy." Hannibal grumbled and Face just kept smiling.

The nurse's mouth dropped open in shock as she saw the Lieutenant staring back at her. She couldn't believe he was alive.

She quickly and skillfully removed the tubes and left the room with a smile as Face winked at her.

He burst into laughter as soon as she was out of the room and Hannibal couldn't help but smile.

"You're such a dick." He chuckled as Face calmed down.

"Hannibal.." He breathed and the Colonel smiled as his name left the kid's lips. He was so used to hearing that airy moan, it was what Face always said when he woke up or was injured.

"I'm sorry, I must've pulled them off in my sleep. I woke up when you were getting in the shower and then decided to take a nap." He sighed and Hannibal just nodded, he couldn't speak, he was stunned into silence that the kid was awake and had this much energy.

"Thank you." Face croaked suddenly and Hannibal looked curiously back at him.

"For not listening to Morrison, for not unplugging me. For staying with me. For wrapping my head in gauze, you saved my life. I would have bled out." Face smiled and Hannibal tried to block the images out. Face couldn't help but notice the shudder and the way Hannibal closed his eyes to blink away the tears.

"I-I just couldn't watch the blood pool underneath you." He whispered and Face nodded. He understood, there were a few times when he felt the same way about Hannibal and his injuries.

"You can't do that to me ever again." Hannibal whispered and Face smiled, the Colonel was never this emotional.

"I won't. I'm not dying without my best friend." He vowed and Hannibal smiled.


End file.
